Blandford
Blandford is a tender engine. Bio With ballast re-laying on the NWR becoming a growing concern in the early 21st Century, the Little Western branch had become a hive of activity in conjunction with the Arlesdale Railway. However, Donald & Douglas were both in a run-down state when traffic was becoming heavy. And, with both engines also being used elsewhere on Sodor, there was demand for a bigger and more powerful resident on Duck’s branch. In 2005, The Fat Controller began utilising such an engine in the form of Blandford; a former heavy goods engine from the Somerset & Dorset Railway, now in private ownership. His use on the Little Western’s mineral traffic proved to be unsurpassable. However, he and his railway had been in fierce rivalry resulting in controversial political actions with the Great Western ever since the opening of the S&D. And as a result, he bore a grudge against the Western engines to begin with. An accident involving asphyxiating his crew in a tunnel soon set things straight, and all engines went on to become firm friends. With Blandford continuing on the branch as a full-time resident. Although helps out elsewhere on the NWR when the demand is called for, including the occasional mineral traffic to Killdane. None of the Somerset and Dorset engines were given official names. Instead, Blandford and his brothers referred to each other by local place names and locations along the route. Although designed first and foremost for mineral traffic, the engines’ ability to conquer the steep Mendip Hills led to them being used on passenger trains; including The Pines Express. During which time, they proved to be more suitable to the task than the Southern Railway’s Bullied Pacifics which were trialed on the line in the early 1950s! The Somerset & Dorset line was jointly run by the Midland and London & South Western Railways; latterly becoming LMS & SR after the 1923 grouping. However, it ran through Great Western territory from the outset. The GWR tried many attempts to buy out the S&D and until 1958, didn’t succeed. But when British Railways changed their Regional Boundaries, the Western Region finally gained control of the line. And began to rationalize services and replace many aging engines. The old Midland locomotives were gradually withdrawn from BR use with the 7Fs going between 1959-64. However, Blandford was purchased privately by a rich farmer who intended to return him to service as soon as possible. Sadly, due to legal problems regarding overdue rent, his new owner was forced to dismantle him immediately and hide him away with pieces scattered around the British Isles. His boiler and frames were dumped, minus wheelsets and tender, on the edge of a field and were abandoned for many years; without firm hope that he would steam again… After many years of neglect, he was eventually restored at a Heritage site in the Midlands and brought to Sodor in 2005, initially on trial when the Little Western branch suffered a motive power crisis during heavy ballast traffic, and remained since on permanent loan to the Hatt Steam Preservation Trust. He has since proven an invaluable asset to the Little Western’s operations, and is used elsewhere as and when required. Although, in-spite of learning the errors of his ways regarding anything bearing Great Western origin, he will still tend to stereotype and jump to conclusions regarding other engines. Basis Blandford was the first of a batch of 6 Class 7F 2-8-0 heavy freight engines designed by Henry Fowler of the Midland Railway and built at Derby in 1914 (another batch of 5 delivered by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn of Newcastle in 1925) for the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway; the biggest and most powerful engines to be built in quantity by the Midland Railway. Two others were sent to Barry Scrapyard in South Wales upon withdrawal. And as such, have survived. No 53808 (‘Radstock’) now resides at Minehead on the West Somerset Railway and 53809 (‘Shepton’) is based at the Midland Railway-Butterley in Derbyshire. Trivia *Blandford carries the NWR number 70 (previously S&DJR No.80/BR No. 53800).